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What could one say about that lens? Look at it and you will get the same feeling as when holding an all plastic camera in your hands. Use it and you will be amazed of what you have bought for a mere nothing. It reminds me of some old soviet lenses that I had bought for a mere nothing and got surprised by their performance.
It is sharp all over. I am using it mostly for film photography and hence the slight vignetting at the lower end does not bother me much.
It focuses fast and it is relatively silent. On my F100 auto focusing is almost instant and less noisy than my 50 1.8D.
What I don't like about it is the lack of the aperture ring.

All in all it is a great lens at an unbeatable price.

dugong5pm

Registered: October 2012Posts: 52

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by dugong5pm

Review Date: 10/13/2012

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $60.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

surprisingly sharp, lightweight, ergonomics

Cons:

cheap build, takes 58mm filter

I bought this lens as a kit lens on my F65D. It shines in its era. It delivers sharp images all over the frame. It also has nice contrast & tone characteristic. Shoot in slides & B/W,you'll see that it could deliver such a really beautiful & contrasty images.

It has that cheap build quality. almost like a toy compared to the other "pro" lenses, but surprisingly it could take the beatings for almost 12 years now.

libertinephotography

Registered: August 2008Posts: 9

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by libertinephotography

Review Date: 8/29/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $42.00| Rating: 7

Pros:

Inexpensive zoom, Good focal range

Cons:

Some vignetting, Some flares

For the price, it is a good, walking around lens. I actually use it on my N80 or N6006 with B/W film, and the images are pretty acceptable. On my D50 or D300, or with color film, I have gotten very mixed results. Skip it, unless you just want something cheap to knock around with on vacation.

wijnands

Registered: February 2007Posts: 4

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by wijnands

Review Date: 2/28/2007

Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: $50.00| Rating: 6

Pros:

Lot of sharpness in a little package. Good portrait zoom on a digital body

Cons:

build quality, not as good as the D version

I've had a copy of this lens and got rid of it to stay with my D version 28-80. If you are in the market for a 28-80 budget zoom see if you can't find a used D-version in good condition.

This lens does continue nikon's kit lens tradition of offering a LOT of bang for very little money. It's sharp early on and stays there. Not much going on in the way of CA and flaring and other nastiness. Colors are good and on the warm side of neutral.

All in all, not a bad lens but if you can get a D-version go for that!

Fiver

Registered: January 2007Posts: 2

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by Fiver

Review Date: 1/12/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 7

Pros:

Cheap versatile mid-zoom lens

Cons:

Bit slow - rotating front element

This lens came together with my Nikon F60 about 7 years ago. The lens is constructed from 8 elements in 8 groups and has a rounded 7-bladed diaphragm which can be stopped down from f/3.5 to f/22. Despite its plastic construction this lightweight lens (265 g or 9.3 oz.) feels solid and sturdy. The 28 - 80 mm is a very nice mid-zoom range which translates for a 1.5x crop sensor into a focal length range of 42 - 120 mm. The images are sharp at all focal lengths especially when stopped down. Autofocus is rather slow and after zooming one needs to re-focus this lens. The front rotates when zooming and takes 58 mm filters. Distortion such as pincushioning or barrel distortion hasn't been measured.
Current price tag is about $ 100 which is very cheap for this versatile mid-zoom lens.

gnip

Registered: December 2006Posts: 2

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by gnip

Review Date: 12/21/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Pros:

Low cost, "G" type lens works with Nikon metering system and comand dial.

Cons:

Cheap feel, loud motor during focus.

High rating due to the "Bang for the Buck" factor. You get a NIKON LENS for less than the cost of most off brand manufactures. I paid less because I choose the grey market option from a New York distributor.
This lens is designed to work with your camera. I bought it to use with an N-75, but it works fine with on my D-100.

dhcn50

Registered: December 2006Posts: 2

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by dhcn50

Review Date: 12/10/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10

Pros:

Lighweight, compact and portable. Very sharp photos. Effective range on the D50 is 42 to 120 a very useful range.

Cons:

None.

Image quality with this lens is excellent. Unbelieveable for the price. I do not miss the 27 to 42 range even though I have the 18 - 55 lens. I much prefer the 28 - 80 lens. Way better images. There are reviews out on the Web rating this lens very highly. Check them out.

danwatson

Registered: December 2006Posts: 7

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by danwatson

Review Date: 12/5/2006

Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 6

Pros:

Cheap, Lightweight Zoom

Cons:

Average overall performance

This lens came included in the D50 kit I purchased from Costco. The lens is constructed of lightweight plastic and the zoom ring is smooth, but the overall build is not up to the standards of other midrange zooms such as the 18-70 DX. Focusing is about average, color is a decent (not strong), and contrast is a bit below average. Detail wise, the optics are not too bad and is probably a tad better considering the D50 sensor is using the center portion of the lens. Stopped down to around f8 and the lens does well for sunny outdoor shooting. Though this is a decent lightweight zoom, I think it would be worth investing just a little more on the 18-55 kit lens.

nohm

Registered: November 2006Posts: 11

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by nohm

Review Date: 11/27/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 8

Pros:

Cons:

Although this lens is made from plastic and feels like a toy, I would consider this a respectable piece of glass. For what it's worth (as a budget lens), the lens offers acceptable contrast and color with minimal chromatic aberration.

However, my copy had some trouble with focusing under low lighting (even at f3.3) as the lens constantly tried to hunt down the subject and created alot of noise while at it. Also, this lens would require a wider lens to compensate for the short range on the wide side.

OldRedFox

Registered: November 2006Posts: 14

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by OldRedFox

Review Date: 11/20/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $100.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Far better IQ than you'd think

Cons:

Slow

I was suprised how sharp and detailed images were using this lens on a D50. In many ways the IQ is the equal of the 18-70 - but on an APS sensor the 28 wide end is not wide enough. Also, the lens is fairly slow reacting. Those issues aside, the images it can render are quite good. To be sure, it's not a pro lens, but if your budget only allows $100 for this focal range, buy it and do not apologise for it.

Rene GM

Registered: November 2006Posts: 5

Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor review by Rene GM

Review Date: 11/15/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 0

Pros:

Good, better than average image quality

Cons:

Starts at 28mm, AF on the slower side, starts at 3.5

This is a low budget lense, you should get for less than 100$. You get the usual nowadays plastic lense, but I did not have a problem with build quality yet.

It is a full format length, so as expected there is no CA or vignetting, and sharpness is uniform over the image area. Distortion is mild and easily removed. The lens delivers satisfying sharpness when stopped down at 8. Note, that the front ring rotates, so polar filters need attention.

I would recommend this lens for people on a budget. The 18-70mm EX is the better choice for 150$ more.